


A Ghost Story (WIP)

by The_Letter_T



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Jessica Jones (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Universe, F/F, F/M, Lesbian Relationship, Marvel Universe, New Avengers, Original Character - Freeform, Original lesbian character, Superheroes, alternate storyline, friendship to romance, superhumans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:00:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Letter_T/pseuds/The_Letter_T
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Jessica Jones/Original Female Character, Natasha Romanoff/Original Female Character, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers
Kudos: 1





	A Ghost Story (WIP)

**Port Hueneme Naval Base**  
 **  
**It was said that the old Tony Stark was as good as dead. The menacious playboy who had dominated the military-industrial market had left for a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan and had failed to return home. The man who clambered from the belly of a Galaxy three months later was a distinct contrast to the confident and insouciant individual who had delighted in extending American military prowess in foreign countries. The new version of Tony was tentative and thoughtful and hopelessly affiliated with a freshly discovered moral compass. What had happened to him Afghanistan to drive such a drastic metamorphosis was a secret he shared with very few people. His acknowledgement of confidentiality unnerved the media greatly. The old Tony Stark had been contented to honor public adoration with the latest gossip. But the new Tony Stark wanted nothing more than to lock himself away in his mansion and forget the press existed. They had responded with rebellion and damning conspiracies. It was their last hurrah as they sensed the diminishing pool within an oasis they had squandered shamelessly for years.  
  
A year had passed before the tidal wave of bad press had receded and the former Stark icon had faded like a bad dream. Most people slowly began to accept that the Tony Stark they once knew had finally deserted them. It was akin to ripping off a plaster to let the skin beneath it breath and harden. Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes had oftentimes hoped that the same could be said for those closest to Tony but he was hard pushed to prove this was the reality. Pepper Potts had remained steadfastly suspicious of her employer since his return. She was liable to consider every spontaneous decision to be the beginnings of a mental episode and had formed a habit of keeping James on speed dial. Then there was "the kid" who by all intents and purposes was in her twenties but had never managed to shake the alias. The poor girl could not be blamed for her evident lack of trust and that was due to a perceptible insufficiency of interest on the part of Tony.   
  
Tony was consummated by the universe with his fair share of looks and financial success. Had God wanted a poster boy to display the extent of his creative abilities then he would have picked Tony. It was unfortunate that he did not always have the personality to go with it. From Day One the playboy had shown himself to be unprepared for fatherhood and out of his depth. His naivety and denial had created a childhood for "the kid" that had been far from the privileged upbringing one might imagine.  
  
This subject had been destined to dominate conversation that morning. It had started with a strained tête-à-tête as it always did. James would pose as the kind of guy who had a business as a motivational speaker and a slot on TEDx. Tony would habitually revert to his hapless child routine which involved changing the pass codes on the doors out of spite and mouthing profanities through the windows. The altercation finally concluded around late morning when James flooded the inbox with accusatory emails and nearly gave JARVIS a breakdown. Eventually they would both calm down enough for some serious words to be exchanged before James would be selected as a substitute. He did not have the heart to decline the responsibility for fear of witnessing the pain and disappointment that "the kid" internalised. She had tried to please him for so many years and driven herself to distraction with goalposts she constantly moved. Needless to say she had proven herself to be just as much of an erudite as her father.   
  
So it was that James found himself gazing up in awe as the enormous _USS Gerald R. Ford_ edged into the dock at Port Hueneme Naval Based accompanied by a flotilla of tugs. He had served in the United States military for seventeen years but the sight of American engineering at its finest still commanded reverence. He stood alone - the only one with the rank and clearance to be permitted here as the aircraft carrier returned from a classified twelve month mission overseas. He considered that twelve months in Afghanistan would have been preferable to the two hours he had wasted arguing with Tony. But perhaps "the kid" would disagree at first. But it was probable that she would concur once she laid eyes on the palliating amalgamation of cells that had replaced her aberrant father.   
  
A door on a demountable cabin opened nearby and a tired officer stepped out into the sunshine. It was evident by the deep creases on his face and the stoop of his shoulders that he had long given up the helm of a ship for a simple desk job. The officer lit a cigarette and drew on it greedily before noticing James. He walked over in the manner one would had he all the time in the world and little need to rush anywhere. He stopped a couple of feet from him and tipped his cap.   
  
"Colonel," he said in a friendly manner. He squinted through the sun and puffed on his light. He turned his attention skyward. "Another fine morning," he observed. "Reckon it'll be in the eighties soon enough." 

"Sure," replied James. The temptation to make a sarcastic remark about this being the East coast rested on his mind. It was a remnant of his frustration at Tony that spurred such recklessness but he recalled his manners at the last minute. He smiled. "Though we could do with some rain." There had not been a drop of precipitation felt in these parts for many months and the Met Office were painting a grim picture of an extended drought. Not that such things would ever affect someone like Tony. The guy had a swimming pool big enough to quench the thirst of California.   
  
The officer scoffed. "Jeez nah," he could have spent the majority of his career on Port Hueneme but his origins had never deserted him. He still spoke with the bravado and assiduity of a man raised in the Bronx. "You'd not say that if you'd lived half your life on the other side." He took another drag on his cigarette and nodded his head lazily towards the West. "Coming here was the best decision I made. Sun and sea air. Nothing like it." He cast a critical eye over James and said. "I'm guessin' you're here for the daughter?" It was not a surprise that everybody knew about Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes and his connection to the infamous Stark family. Much of the world had been invested in the antics of Tony Stark and old habits died hard.   
  
James nodded. "Yeah. Her old man could not make it," he explained. It was a white lie. Tony had plenty of time available to him but it was how he chose to spend it which rarely included his responsibilities as a parent. "I decided I would stand in as a replacement." There was a significant difference between "decided" and "coerced" but what did an aging officer need to know about family politics for? He also knew that it was certain to spread around the ranks because gossip was a form of currency in the military. 

The officer confirmed his doubts by looking disgruntled by the lack of discussion. Had he hoped James might be an open book then he was mistaken. He gave him a long hard stare before finally shrugging and giving the stub of his cigarette a cursory glance. He flicked it into the water. "Well," he said. "Give my regards to Captain Stark and Mr Stark. I am sure it'll be a relief to have her home safe."

"I'll pass it on," James replied courteously. He was relieved not to be greeting "the kid" home with a nosy officer beside him. He was liable to ask too many questions and impose and that was surely the last thing she needed. He was thankful that the officer seemed keen to return to his office and its air conditioning. It was as the door to the demountable closed that the floating metropolis raked the side of the dock with a low rumble and lowered its gangplanks. It had left port one year prior with two thousand men and women aboard in the name of defending American interests. It returned today with an additional two hundred hands on board and some of the finest names from the United States Marines Special Operations Corps. The monstrosity settled in the water with a few extra shudders for good measure. The escort of tugs disbanded and the crew of the _USS Gerald R. Ford_ returned home. 

It was as the first boots made landfall that James felt the pangs of nervousness that he had tried to ignore the entire morning. Would "the kid" have changed all that much? What if her experiences abroad had altered her perception on life significantly? Would she still recognise him? The last time that he had seen her was before she had left for England to study for a Masters and a PhD simultaneously. It was what really smart people did apparently though James could not imagine how she balanced her timetables. He had been deployed with the Air Force when word had reached him about her acceptance into the United States Marines. He had been surprised at that. "The kid" had never so much as displayed an aggressive bone in her body although she had entertained a competitive streak in sports. It had only occurred to him later on that she had joined up for her father rather than for herself. Perhaps she felt closer to him through a mutual career path and hoped to understand him better by doing so. That was until Tony had abandoned it in the name of "peace".  
  
He was so lost in thought that he did not realise that somebody was speaking to him at first. He blinked a few times and the figure of a very attractive young woman in high collar blues came into focus. She was carrying a large bag of her belongings which she put down on the tarmac. She looked anxiously at him. "James?" A relieved smile spread across her face as he recognised her and eagerly conducted their secret handshake. A fist bump here followed by a spray of fingers and a complicated arrangement of elbows. He was impressed that she still remembered it. Then he finally hugged her. "I think you were daydreaming," she told him gently and he finally knew for certain that "the kid" had barely changed at all. "Thanks for coming to get me Rhodey." She said. She was one of very few people that he permitted to call him that. Melina "Nina" Stark aka "The Kid" was as close as family.   
  
"Wow. It is so good to see you again," he remarked. "How long has it been? Three years?" You lost count of things such as days and weeks especially when babysitting a big toddler like Tony. He had all but given up trying to help Pepper arrange the diary. 

Nina mulled over the mathematics briefly. "I think it is closer to seven actually," she concluded. "But it may as well have been seven minutes because you have not changed at all."   
  
"Neither have you unless you count the fact that you have grown a foot and are in blues." Rhodey said appraisingly. He had never considered Nina to be the sort of person to follow a military career but he had been pleasantly mistaken. Nina looked exceedingly comfortable in her uniform.   
  
Back and forth they talked for a while and laughed and joked. A brief pause allowed Nina to look around and a shadow of historic disappointment briefly tarnished her pretty features. "I am assuming my dad could not make it?" She asked. Her accent had been permanently altered by her time spent in England and made her sound remarkably like Lara Croft. It was an ongoing joke that both Tony and James entertained and which Nina politely tolerated. 

James sighed. He knew that conversation would eventually turn to Tony but had hoped it would have been later rather than sooner. "He got held up," he explained in a lukewarm manner. "He asked me to stand in for him. Sorry Nina." He was adamant not to get into a lengthy explanation about the argument that morning. It would only result in old emotions resurfacing for him and make the whole reunion more uncomfortable for her. James did not like the idea of telling the daughter of his best friend that her father had considered messing about in his workshop more important than welcoming home his prodigy. He managed an apologetic smile but quickly turned his focus to retrieving her bag. 

Nina attempted a polite smile but her eyes were glassy with sadness. "I am sure it was something very important," she said. "But I am very grateful that you came." It was better to have somebody waiting for you than nobody at all. She gently tugged her blues straight by the hem and exhaled sharply. "We best get going then." 

James nodded his agreement. "Sure c'mon," he said as he led her to his vehicle. He packed her bag into the boot as she settled into the front passenger seat. He watched her as she carefully arranged the seat belt over her uniform. He understood what must have been circulating through her thoughts. You spent so much time and effort on appearance that risking any creasing or tarnishing was tantamount to criminality. She put her white peaked cap on her lap and rested back in the seat as he started the engine and drove them out of the port. "Maybe we can stop by that old coffee place you always liked? They do a discount for military personnel. I have been squandering that since forever."   
  
"Beans? It is still going?" A cheery expression passed across her face then returned to camp there. "I have missed their Flat White like no tomorrow." She enthused.   
  
James grinned. "It is still going strong," he confirmed. "I expect that could be because your dad buys all his refreshments from there. His custom has kept them in business." He joked. The only reason Beans were still alive and kicking was because of their excellent coffee. It also paid having your cafe close to one of the busiest naval ports on the East Coast.   
  
"I would love a coffee," she said happily. "Thank you Rhodey."   
  
Her eyes drifted from his face to the road and watched the familiar landscape cruise by. The drive from Port Hueneme to the mansion in Malibu would only take an hour at most. James knew that meeting her father after so long would likely be a difficult affair and he wished to make it easier for her. He had planned to give her extra time by taking her to the tiny roadside cafe that made such excellent coffee. The large metallic letters on the roof that read "Beans" glittered in the late morning sun as James eased up beside the drive-through.   
  
"Colonel Rhodes," the young lady on the till gushed. Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes was a regular here. She smiled. "And Captain Stark. A pleasure!" James gave Nina an apologetic look. He had evidently told them who he was meeting at Port Hueneme whilst ordering a large cappuccino and a Danish early that morning. "What can I get you both?"   
  
"You know what I like Cleo," James teased with a wink that did not go unnoticed by Nina. "And a large Flat White for the Captain here." He handed the young woman a crisp $10 note. "Keep the change." He said silkily. 

It was an awkward wait whilst Cleo made their drinks and James tried not to catch the eye of his observant passenger. But he eventually gave in. "I may have taken her on a date last week OK?" He blushed. "We had a really great time together." He said defensively. 

"Colonel Rhodes you dark horse." Nina said amusedly. She gave Cleo a cursory look and said. "I think she is very pretty." Her reasoning made James smile. James had always liked having a gay friend and had routinely asked for her opinion on random women at functions. He had been one of the first people she had told and trusted with her secret and he had honored her plea to keep it quiet. That had meant not telling Tony that his daughter was a homosexual. James had understood rightaway why Nina had not wanted to tell him. He was the biggest playboy this side of America and would have probably found it entertaining hooking her up with old flings which was not her idea of fun. 

"You been on any dates?" He dared to ask. Cleo had handed them their order with a lot of flirtatious comments and looks at James. He had driven them around the back of Beans to a parking space that had a good sea view. They relaxed in their seats and enjoyed their coffees as gentle waves lapped the shore. "I bet you have." He grinned. "You are drop dead gorgeous and intelligent. Two things women love."   
  
Nina faltered. "Actually no. Not really." She said. "I did not really have time for it during my studies and you know how it is in the military." She suddenly became intrigued by the swirling cream on the surface of her coffee. "I would like to start dating though. It would be nice to meet somebody." 

"Hmm," James gave her a look that said he did not believe her for a second. Nina was an incredibly beautiful young woman with rich reddish brown eyes and long dark hair the color of molten chocolate. Her skin was pale and flawless and her body was especially toned from her love of fitness if not to mention her career. "Well I am sure it would not take you long to find that special girl. Chicks dig uniforms for a start." He grinned knowingly.   
  
She smiled at him. "I would rather be seen for myself and not my regalia. I want to find somebody who loves me for me and not because of the job I do or the clothes I wear." She replied.  
  
James whistled. "Already looking for Miss Right. You must be getting serious in your old age." He dodged a playful nudge in the arm and chuckled. "Okay I get you." The truth was that James probably did not really understand at all. He was enjoying entertaining a long line of women who got excited at the sight of a man in uniform. Maybe one day he would come to know what troubled Nina. But for now he kept his silence and offered her an ear as he sipped at his cappuccino with a dusting of cinnamon.   
  
"Anyway," she sighed and changed the subject. "How is Pepper?" Pepper Potts was the closest thing to a mother that Nina had. Her real mother had been absent since her birth and nobody could say for certain what had happened to her. Tony behaved as if she was dead and refused to answer any questions about her at all which had rattled her cage for many years. Pepper had been the only one to see that "the kid" simply needed a maternal figure in her life and had taken Nina under her wing.

James thought about it. He realised that Nina probably did not know about recent events. Pepper no longer worked for Tony in that respect but had maintained a presence in his life out of habit. The woman that had replaced her as his assistant was akin to the "stereotypical sexy secretary" but hard working nonetheless. The problem was that Pepper did not like the arrangement one bit and could see through his choice of replacement. She had coined the term "eye candy" and repeatedly beat Tony over the head with it whilst complaining bitterly about the woman leading him astray with her nice smile and pretty face. If James had an opinion on the matter it was that Pepper felt insulted that her hard work had amounted to nothing. Tony had replaced her with someone who had to simply look good and flatter him without pulling any real weight.   
  
"Y'know," James said carefully. "She is doing great. I mean she got promoted. Did Tony tell you?" He knew that Tony definitely had not told her anything but it seemed the easiest way to break the ice on the subject. 

Nina looked immediately suspicious. "Tell me what?"   
  
James sucked air through his teeth and shifted in his seat. "Tony may have promoted her to Director of Stark Industries." He admitted. "It happened a couple of months ago. We were not able to tell you for obvious reasons." When you were conducting covert operations in an enemy country there were no options for contacting home or vice versa. Nina would have been kept in the dark for a long time and thus she had missed out on important matters.   
  
There was a very long pause.   
  
"Oh." Nina said curtly. It was difficult to read her as she stared into the bottom of her cup and finished her drink. "Did he not enjoy the business?" She asked. She remembered how her father had once enjoyed his job and the excitement of testing his new creations. The bigger the explosion the better. Had the notion that her dad was a weapons manufacturer bothered her she had never shown it and had kept her mouth shut on the ethical challenges it posed.   
  
James shook his head. "Not so much that as he wanted to dedicate his time to Iron Man and The City of the Future." He was confident that the Captain knew all about that. Everybody in the military would have been brought up to speed on the appearance on the risk to national security that a weaponized tin can potentially posed. There was no doubt that Nina had had to handle some difficult questions whilst overseas as people wondered whether she would follow in the footsteps of her wayward father. 

His suspicions that she knew about Iron Man were confirmed. "Ah," she said slowly. "So he is still doing that." She trailed off and sighed. Her eyes drifted beyond the cliffs to the sea and her lips moved in thought. "I suppose Pepper was the obvious choice and experienced too. Better somebody you know than somebody you do not." She concluded.   
  
"Well I did tell him he should have asked you first. You are his heir after all." James said hurriedly. He did not want "the kid" to think that nobody had considered the implications this could have on her. He could still recall that argument and how it had ended. James had not spoken to Tony for a whole week. It was not that he did not think Pepper was up to the job or worthy of such a promotion. Virginia "Pepper" Potts had worked tirelessly for Tony for as long as Rhodey had been a serving member of the United States military. It was that Tony had given no thought to the rights his heir had. And it only confirmed that he barely noticed his daughter or truly cared about her. 

"You do not need to worry about me," she said as she pulled herself together and expertly fired the empty cup into a bin nearby. "I can take care of myself." 

The coffees now consumed and the conversation ebbing marked the time for them to leave for the mansion. Tony owned an impressive modern monolith that commanded a hilltop overlooking the sea and was defended by shear cliffs on three sides. Such an imposing home had made it easier for Tony to disappear from the radar of the press. Anybody approaching the house would be instantly known to him and he could cherry pick who he permitted entry or not. It was surprising therefore to find a familiar face from Vanity Fair lurking outside the building as James parked up.   
  
"Christine?" Nina asked curiously. She had a complicated history with the journalist. Christine was one of many flings her father had had. Nina had only been a young teen when Christine had met Tony on a night out.   
  
Nina had never trusted Christine and for good reason. She had used her time in the Malibu home to hound her endlessly for gossip. "Everybody wants to know more about the illegitimate child that lives here," she had said unashamedly. "Can you tell me about yourself?" She asked whilst trailing a bed sheet behind her and only just managing to keep her nudity covered whilst simultaneously wrestling with a Dictaphone.   
  
"Just because my mother is not here and my dad barely notices me does not make me "illegitimate"." Nina had replied rather hotly. Pepper had thankfully arrived soon after and whisked Pepper out of the house making snide remarks about taking out the trash. Christine had maintained a bitterness towards Nina ever since as if it had been her fault for the unceremonious removal from the home.   
  
"Oh," the journalist said picking at a manicured nail and looking down her nose at the young woman. In her heels she was a few inches taller than Nina. "It's you."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Nina asked whilst politely ignoring the displeased expression on her face. "Have you got an appointment?"   
  
Christine huffed and sneered. "No. Do I need one?"   
  
James came to Nina's rescue. "It depends what you're here for."   
  
Christine let her eyes wander over Rhodey appraisingly. It seemed that James was right about one thing. Women really did like a man in uniform. She eventually rolled her eyes. "Well no," she admitted. "I do not have an appointment but I was hoping to get a few words on the Expo he is planning for tomorrow evening."   
  
"Expo?" Nina asked confusedly.   
  
James looked at her hastily. "We will talk about it later." He returned his focus to Christine. "I will let Tony know you were here and get him to give you a call. OK?" He could tell by her expression that Everhart was not particularly pleased by the arrangement. But she also knew it was a losing battle.

She flicked her hair and sniffed deprecatingly. "Fine. He has my number." She shot Nina a look and turned on her heel.   
  
TBC


End file.
